There’s a running joke in our office about me and REAL
ID. Whenever someone wants to conjure up feelings of frustration, fear, or anger
in me, just bring up the topic of REAL ID. Immediately I will start a rant about
how much I dislike this legislation.
REAL ID was one of the first issues I worked on when I
joined the ACLU of MAINE. It’s unbelievably frustrating that today, just weeks away from
my second anniversary, we sent out an action alert about PASS ID, the REAL ID
revival.
At the beginning of this long saga, the federal government told us we had to implement REAL
ID. Maine was
one of the first states to pass state legislation saying we would not implement
the program. Then we were told we had to or we wouldn’t be allowed on planes. So
the Maine
state legislature, in a matter of weeks, rushed a bill through that not only
made it clear we would comply with the federal law, but also put much of its
language into state law. After passage of that bill, we had agreed to comply
with the federal REAL ID program and our own state REAL ID. A people’s veto
effort attempted to repeal this hastily passed legislation, but despite many
weeks of truly hard work wasn’t able to obtain 55,000 signatures in three short
months. In the next session, when the Secretary of Homeland Security was no
longer threatening us, the Maine State Legislature passed a bill to repeal our
own REAL ID law, making it possible for us to refuse to comply again. We were
excited about this victory, until Governor Baldacci refused to sign the bill
because of his commitment to requiring proof of citizenship when obtaining
driver’s licenses.
So many fights. So many victories and
losses.
It’s time to put this issue to rest once and for all.
Now there are two bills at the federal level – one to revive REAL ID and one to repeal it. Click on the links
to learn more about the specifics. REAL ID was a bad idea to begin with, and
time and time again our state has taken that stand. It’s time we come to
reasonable place where we are both safe and free. Call Senator Snowe
(207-874-0883) and Senator Collins (207-780-3575) and ask them to oppose PASS ID
(S. 1261). Call Congresswoman Pingree (207-774-5019) and Congressman Michaud
(207-764-1036) and ask them to support the REAL ID Repeal and Identification
Security Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR. 3471).
For a comprehensive history of the issue, visit
www.realnightmare.org.